"Stay low, stay quiet, keep it simple.
Don't expect too much, enjoy what you have."
Snow. He was surrounded by snow. It was to be expected since it was smack dab in the middle of winter right now in the kingdom of Atlas. Snow was not a strange thing. Snow was a normal sight. It used to be a symbol of fun.
But not anymore.
Not when the snow was no longer white. Not when the pure snow had been blotted with crimson liquid.
That's why he was running. Running away from it all. Running away from his fear. From his pain. From the never-ending nightmare. He couldn't feel his arms. He couldn't feel his legs. He could hardly even breathe.
But he kept running. That was the only choice he had.
His father was dead. His mother was dead. His sister was dead. Everyone in the entire village was dead. The entire town was burning, and the fire quickly spread to the forest. Everything was glowing red, whether from blood or fire. With so much death and destruction, there was only one constant factor you could account for.
Grimm.
Grimm were everywhere. It was a miracle they hadn't seen him yet, but that won't be for long. He could tell. His heart was beating out of his chest, and the only thing he could feel was his own terror clenching his entire being. He was going to die. From the Grimm, or the monsters who purged his home from the map.
That was a lesson he had just learned. Grimm aren't the only monsters that exist in the world.
Why did this even happen? Did they do something wrong? Why wasn't anyone coming to save them? Why had they all been forsaken?
It was only then he realized that he had fallen face-first onto the snow. He tried to push himself back up but found his arms were unresponsive. His legs were like lead, and his breathing was slowing down to an uncomfortable level.
Now he was staining the pure white snow red.
It's so cold.
Snow. That is the one thing that never goes. No matter how much he wanted out of the blistering cold, it would keep piling down, covering the ghost of the place he used to know as 'home'.
Snow isn't always grand. It can be a joy or a harbinger of death.
It's so very cold…
He was tired. He was cold. He didn't want to go on anymore. Not after what happened. Not after what he saw. Not after what he experienced. There was only one thing he wanted now, right before the end.
Why? Why did his friend do this to him? Did he really hate them that much?
That's when the copper-haired eight-year-old boy closed his violet eyes, but not before catching a glimpse of a woman in a white cloak, whose eyes were so silver, they were like shining moons.
And then he woke up seeing a pure white ceiling. So white it was blinding.
"...I don't know that ceiling." He stated aptly in a dull tone.
"Oh, good. You're awake."
That was a voice he had never heard before. Turning his head, he saw that there was a woman sitting in a seat next to the bed he was in. She was a young woman who looked to be maybe only just a few years younger than his own mother. She had dark hair with bits of red in it and wore a white cloak that contrasted with her otherwise dark outfit.
That's when the boy remembered. She was the one he saw before he blacked out in the forest. Then…does that mean…
"Is this heaven? Am I dead, Miss Angel?" The boy asked in a soft voice as he stared at the woman.
That got a sad smile from the woman and a small, dry chuckle as she shook her head.
"No, you aren't dead. This isn't heaven, and I'm not an angel." She said in a solemn tone. "You've just been asleep for a few days now. I'm…so relieved that you're awake now."
"I'm…not dead?" The boy asked in slight disbelief. "But…it still feels cold. Like I'm still in the stained snow."
Snow…snow…snow…
The entire image of what had occurred flashed into the boy's head once again as chills that stayed from that moment racked his entire body.
"I should be dead…! I should have died! I was there, in the snow, staining it red! B-Blood…! So…much…b-blood…! Fire everywhere! So hot, and so, so cold!"
He could stop shaking anymore. The entire thing was replaying in his eyes again and again on a constant loop. The fire, the blood, the bodies, the PAIN! Make it stop, please!
"Hey. Hey! It's okay!" The woman was quick to act upon realizing the child was having a panic attack. "It's alright now. They can't hurt you anymore. They can never hurt anyone else again."
Her words cut through the panic and fear swiftly as the implications settled in the child's head. He was not stupid. He had always been an intelligent child. One his parents could be proud of. He knew a few words other kids his age didn't know like 'rudimentary' and 'chronological'. He knew them by reading those thick books his dad had and constantly bugging him about their meaning. He still had trouble with some words, but he still knew more than the average child.
So when he heard the woman say those words, he immediately knew what she meant, although it was helped by witnessing what he imagined she was referring to.
"Then…they're…dead? He's…dead?" He asked in a hushed whisper, his tone almost one of disbelief.
The woman's silence on the matter was the only answer he needed. Of course, she didn't need to answer. The boy already knew what had happened. He saw it happen, and it was the thing that allowed him to run away and escape the flames in the first place.
"Grimm…"
It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Grimm would always appear should a settlement like his home be attacked. The Grimm were lured by the attack, and they ended up taking care of the attackers. Monsters killing other monsters as the whole place burned to ash. The boy almost found it-what was that word his dad showed him that one time?
Oh. Ironic.
"...I'm not dead." The boy repeated as it all finally started to click. "Then…where-?"
It only took a quick look around for him to answer that. It was clear he was in a hospital room of some kind. He could recognize the equipment in the room, like the monitor that showed wavy lines sometimes and the things the doctor used to look at his eyes, mouth, and ears.
But…why was he here? How did he get here?
"Did you save me?" The boy asked the woman, his eyes now wide with surprise.
"I suppose that would be correct, though all I did was bring you here." The woman said with a slight frown. "I saw a fire off in the distance, so I rushed over, and that's when I found you, lying face first in the snow bleeding out. I couldn't just leave a child like that, so I brought you here as fast as I could. I'm just thankful I made it in time. The doctors told me it was close. You lost a lot of blood."
"Oh…"
He didn't know a lot about medical things, but he knew blood was important since it was…y'know, his blood. And he saw firsthand how much he was losing after…after…
The boy stopped his thought. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to think about bad things. Terrible things. Painful things.
The boy found himself resting a hand on his still aching, burning side as a slight tremble traveled through him.
Then he took a breath. That's what his mom told him to do whenever he was scared. It always helped before, and it helped now, too. Just not as well as before. Still, he managed to calm down enough to not tremble again. It was enough for him to give another response.
"...Thank you. For saving me." The boy said softly.
"I'm just happy you made it through okay." The woman gave a small smile. "I'm just glad I was able to save someone from that." The woman frowned after that.
The boy knew what she meant. He knew just how fortunate he was to live from this. So he knew how unlikely it was for anyone else to have been just as lucky as him. Not when everything was on fire, bleeding out, or being mauled by Grimm.
However, before he could dwell on that fact for too long, the woman's expression became bright again as she flashed him a stunning smile.
"So what's your name?"
"Me?" The boy questioned in confusion and surprise. When the woman gave him a quick nod, he was left speechless for a moment before he answered. "Ginger. Ginger Graham."
"Graham?" The woman repeated with wide eyes. "I see…" She muttered something before she smiled at him again. "My name is Summer Rose. It's nice to meet you, Ginger."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you, too." Ginger gave Summer a polite, if a little confused, nod. "Um… So why were you in the forest? Could it be that…you're a huntress?"
"Yeah, I am. I was actually finishing up a mission here in Atlas before I saw the smoke and made a B-line over to your village." Summer told him. "I'm…sorry I couldn't make it in time to save anyone else."
"It's…okay. It was a small place that wasn't well known. That's what Dad always said." Ginger said. "Besides, not even the local huntsmen could stop what happened. It all happened too fast."
Summer frowned again at that, not knowing what to say in response. After the two of them sat in silence for a bit, Summer finally spoke up again.
"Do you have any other family you could go to?"
Ginger had to hide his frown at the question. The truth was he did have family that lived outside of his village, but…they were…
Chills began to run up Ginger's back as he thought about what might happen if he were to find himself with that side of his family. He would probably be happy. He would probably have no reason to want with them. However…the possibility of another tragedy was…
Ginger bit his lower lip as he began to slowly shake his head.
He couldn't. It was painfully selfish of him, but he just couldn't say it. He couldn't handle even the thought of something like this happening again with another family. He couldn't handle the thought of this happening again because he was with that family.
"No. Everyone I ever knew lived in my village." Ginger lied, his words leaving an awful taste in his mouth.
Fortunately, it didn't seem Summer noticed his displeasure born from his lie as she nodded slowly at his response.
"I see…" Summer's smile then came back in full force as she then said something Ginger never would have imagined. "Then, if you have nowhere else to go, would you like to come with me?"
Ginger could only blink a few times as he stared at the huntress in confusion before he found himself tilting his head at her as if she had just said something completely alien to him. Summer let out a small chuckle, but it was more sweet and kind sounding than the sad one she let out before.
"I know it might seem sudden, and I know you've only just met me. You can say no if you want, but I just want to give you the option in case you'd rather not go to an orphanage. I've already spoken to my husband about it, and after explaining things, he said he was willing to let you stay with us. I also have two daughters around your age that I'm sure you'll get along with if you say yes."
"...Why?" Ginger asked in an innocent tone.
"Well, if I'm being really honest, I just…can't stand the thought of just leaving you here by yourself after everything you knew was destroyed. In a strange, unfamiliar place with no one to help you. I guess I haven't grown out of my naive phase like Qrow said." Summer admitted. "But still, if I'm able to help someone, I want to do it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try at the very least."
Ginger continued to stare at Summer after that, blinking a few times as he thought of her words. He then leaned towards her while narrowing his eyes and humming in thought before crossing his arms and bringing a hand to his chin to further think on the matter.
He was still just a kid, despite everything. He didn't really know what he was supposed to do. With matters like this, his parents would have been the ones with the right answer. They always did.
But he knew he couldn't rely on them to answer this for him or to help him with any other matter now. He had to decide. Whether to go to an orphanage or with Summer, a choice made only harder due to only having met the woman. However, aside from her being a huntress, Ginger knew one thing for certain about his savior.
She was strange. Very strange. He didn't really get it. She was offering him to go with her because she simply wanted to help him? Nothing more?
If it were only a few days ago, he might have immediately believed her, but his trust had been bruised recently. Hurt and abused by someone he willingly gave it to. And yet, her eyes were nothing like that person's. Her eyes were bright. And kind, too. Far too kind.
For some reason, he just felt like he could trust a person with eyes like hers. She saved him, after all.
And also…he really didn't want to be here anymore. Not here in Atlas anymore, where he would constantly be reminded of the snowy, fiery memory.
And so, slowly and with a bit of hesitation, Ginger nodded. The relief that appeared on Summer's face at that moment was something Ginger hadn't seen before. The way her smile curved further upward and the way her silver eyes shined from his answer showed him she had absolute joy at his response, and he couldn't help but feel the same way after seeing that.
"I'm glad. I really am." Summer told him. "I can't promise things will be like they were before, but I can promise you this. I will do my best to make sure that even though things can't be the same, you can still be happy."
It was such a simple thing, but it got a small, hopeful smile out of Ginger as a bit more life began to shine in his previously solemn eyes.
"...Okay."
That was his beginning. His starting point. It was the moment when everything he knew before ended, but it was also when everything would begin.
"Here we are. Home sweet home!" Summer proudly exclaimed as they walked off the shuttle. "Good ol' Patch. I know it's not like any place in Atlas, but I think you'll like it here."
"...It's snowing." Ginger noted as he pulled his brown sweater closer to him. He couldn't hide his frown and slight shudder at the light powder falling from the sky.
Summer frowned when she noticed Ginger shivering not from the cold but from the memories it reminded him of before sighing.
"Yeah. It tends to snow here for a bit, but only during the winter. It's not like Atlas where it snows through most of the seasons. It should clear up in a month or so, then you'll see how nice it is during warmer weather." Summer said. "C'mon. I can show you around before we head home."
"Home." Ginger repeated, a small smile forming as he did. "Okay." Summer flashed him a bright smile at that before leading him around the town.
Ginger had spent a lot more time with Summer now, having traveled out of Atlas to Vale to finally the Isle of Patch. It took a while, but it was surprisingly enjoyable for the most part. They started traveling once Ginger was allowed to leave the hospital. Summer had already completed whatever mission she had to do, so they started heading to Patch right away.
During the trip, it was just Ginger and Summer, so Ginger was able to get to know the stranger that saved him and then immediately offered to give him a new home. At first, he assumed that Summer was just like how he imagined all Huntsmen and Huntresses: a hardened, veteran warrior that was stern and strict.
That was…not the case with Summer. Summer was…more normal than he thought she would be.
Instead of the hardened warrior he imagined or even the heavenly angel that he remembered had appeared to save him in the forest, she was more bubbly than anything. She was always so cheerful it was infectious, and she would always try to fill the silence during their travels, for better or worse. Summer always tried to make sure Ginger was alright, being sure to keep an eye out to make sure he didn't get injured and that he was fine.
She was very excited from what Ginger could tell, which made the trip more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. It was to the point Ginger was nearly convinced that her default emotion was some form of joy and it was impossible for Summer to know of sadness.
That's the way he had started feeling since departing with her. It was hard to be depressed when she did her best to brighten the mood, despite everything that Ginger had been through recently. That was also helped by just how kind she was to him. She even got him replacement glasses for the ones that broke during the attack on his village.
He just felt safe with Summer now. She did save him, after all, but it was more than that. The more she made conversation with the otherwise quiet and mostly reserved boy, the more he felt at ease with her. It was a nice feeling for him.
Summer proceeded to show Ginger around the town, and it reminded him a lot of his village. Patch was similar in a lot of ways, actually. There weren't many noticeable landmarks in the town like his, for starters. Both places were also settlements outside of the main kingdoms, putting them both in similar circumstances as well.
There wasn't a very large population due to the latter, but there were enough people to run the place comfortably. And there were enough people trained in combat or as huntsmen to defend the place and cull the Grimm population whenever it was needed. It certainly had that homey feeling to it.
After showing him around the place, Summer finally brought him to a large cabin further into the woods of Patch. It stood out compared to the other buildings in Patch, and Ginger couldn't help but think it looked very picturesque in the snowy forest, despite the fact that snow had been ruined for the boy.
While Ginger was looking at the cabin in awe, Summer held back a bit of laughter at the sight of Ginger's stunned look before heading up to the door.
It was at that moment Ginger suddenly felt a lot more nervous about this whole thing. Did someone like him…really deserve something like this? Was it really okay for him of all people to be allowed a new life like this when so many others had to lose theirs? What right did he have?
Being saved and then being given a new home after what happened when hundreds of others were not allowed to survive? At least a few of those victims must have been much better people than Ginger was. In fact, he knew that was accurate, having known many people who had been slaughtered. What right did he have to survive when they couldn't? Why did he get the chance to continue on with his life when others couldn't?
Summer seemed to sense his apprehension and offered him a hand and another warm smile.
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright. I promise." Summer told him in a sweet, motherly voice. It certainly helped Ginger feel calmer, but it didn't ease all of his nervousness.
So, without waiting anymore, Summer opened the door and walked in while Ginger followed closely behind her. Ginger looked around at the many different pictures of Summer and her family as he followed Summer before stopping behind her when he saw who must have been her husband exiting one of the rooms with a tired sigh.
He had blonde hair and blue eyes, along with some stubble on his chin that wasn't quite a beard yet. He wore a brown vest and shorts, and he had a heart-shaped tattoo that Ginger figured must have been his personal emblem. The man looked over at them when he heard them and gave a smile to Summer.
"Your back!" He said, his tired expression now showing relief and warmth now that Summer was in his view. "How was the mission? Not too difficult?"
"Not at all. I just had to help James and some of the local huntsmen handle some large Grimm that were sighted. Otz wanted to make sure things went smoothly considering the kind of Grimm James's men saw." Summer replied as she moved towards her husband and gave him a light kiss. "Thankfully, everything went as planned."
"Good. I'm glad you're back. The girls will be, too."
"Where are they, actually?"
"They're in their room." The man gestured to the room he had just exited. "Qrow's in there with them."
"Qrow's here, too?"
"Yeah. Said something about wanting to see his nieces and be a good uncle to them. Think he's still feeling bad regarding Rav. Guess he wants to be better with them because of that. He's been visiting a lot more lately."
"That sounds like him. It's nice to see he wants a good relationship with the girls, though. He's been good to them from what I've seen. Ruby already adores him." Summer gave a warm smile.
"Thank god for that. Those girls can be exhausting sometimes." The man returned the smile before looking down at Ginger, who immediately moved further behind Summer, doing his best to make himself seem small under the stranger's gaze.
"Is that the kid you mentioned?"
"Yeah." Summer gave a nod as she turned to Ginger. "There's no need to be scared. He's not going to hurt you."
Ginger only frowned at that. That wasn't what was bothering him. He just…didn't like meeting new people. It always made him nervous. Even more so now than before for…obvious reasons. He'd rather be hiding in his room reading a book than talking to a stranger, with the only exception to that rule so far being Summer.
Still, he knew that he couldn't just not say anything, so he moved so that a bit more of him was visible to the man before pushing his glasses up and giving the man a curt nod.
"Nice to…meet you." Ginger spoke in a quiet tone before returning to his position behind Summer.
"He seems shy." The man noted with a light laugh. "I'm Taiyang, but you can just call me Tai. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"...Ginger." Ginger eventually answered in a hushed voice.
"It's nice to meet you, Ginger." Tai said. He was about to say something else, but before he could, the door behind Tai opened, revealing a more shaggy-looking man with a mostly gray outfit and messy black hair.
"Hey, Tai, where are those cookies? The girls are getting restless. Especially Ruby." The man gave a small groan before his eyes landed on Summer and Ginger, making Ginger hide further behind the huntress until only part of his face was visible. "Oh, well if it isn't Sunshine. Good to see you back. And I see you brought a stray along with you."
"Don't be mean, Qrow." Summer narrowed her eyes at Qrow, which made the man raise his hands in defense.
"Hey now. Don't look at me like that, Sunshine." Qrow told her before looking back at Ginger. "So this is the Graham kid you saved in Atlas?"
"Yes. Ginger, this is Qrow, an old friend of mine." Summer told the boy.
"...He smells like the bottles Dad stored in that cabinet he told me never to touch until I was eighteen." Ginger muttered with a pointed look of disgust aimed right at Qrow. His statement got a laugh out of Tai and Summer giving Qrow another glare. Qrow just shrugged in response.
"What? I'm not gonna stop drinking just cause I'm hanging out with your kids more." Qrow said. And as if to prove his point, he took out a flask and took a few sips out of it before putting it away. "So, should we talk more about what happened in Atlas aside from your mission?"
"Yes. I do think we should discuss more about what will happen." Summer nodded. "Do you want to meet my daughters, Ginger? They'd be delighted to have another person to play with."
"...Okay." Ginger said, still barely moving out from his spot behind the huntress as he continued to feel nervous about this entire situation.
"I'll get the cookies. That'll probably help keep the girls distracted as we talk." Tai said as he went into the kitchen and grabbed a plate so full of cookies that Ginger couldn't actually believe that Tai was able to carry the plate with one hand without spilling anything.
So, the adults led Ginger into the room Qrow and Tai had emerged from. It was a normal bedroom with two beds in it, as well as two girls. The older girl had long blonde hair worn in two ponytails and lavender eyes, while the younger girl looked like a younger Summer with shorter hair.
Upon opening the door, the two girls turned to face the four, with Summer leading the pack as she greeted them with a bright, motherly smile.
"Mom!"
"Mommy!"
"Hey, girls. I missed you both." Summer told them as both girls ran over to her for a big hug. "Were you both good while I was gone?"
"Hm-hm!" The younger one nodded fervently.
"Good. Just as expected from my girls." Summer said proudly.
"So what were you doing? What cool huntress things did ya have to do? Can you tell us all about it?" The blonde girl asked with excitement.
"Maybe." Summer gave her daughter a cheeky grin. "But before that, I need to talk to your father and uncle about something reeeeeeally important, so you both need to stay here for a bit, alright."
"But I wanna play!" The youngest moaned as she gave her mother a deep frown.
"Now, now, Ruby. We'll play in a bit. But I need to talk to Daddy and Uncle Qrow first." Summer reiterated to the three-year-old. "But while we're talking, you can play with a new friend I've brought with me."
"Friend?" The little girl, Ruby, questioned.
That's when the older girl noticed Ginger from behind the adults, still trying to keep himself hidden behind everyone else.
"Who's he?" She asked. Summer turned to Ginger and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Come over here, Ginger. Introduce yourself." She beckoned him over.
Ginger was a bit hesitant regarding this, but he was left with no choice as Qrow pushed him front and center. Ginger stumbled a bit and nearly fell flat on his face, but he caught his footing before he fell. The boy turned around and shot the older man a dirty look as his cheeks turned slightly red, only to be met with Qrow's own look of amusement.
"Go on, kid. Don't wanna be rude now, wouldja?"
Ginger held back a huff. He wasn't sure he liked the dirty, bad-smelling man. Tai seemed nice like Summer, at least, but Qrow seemed like a big jerk. Still, he wasn't wrong, which only served to bug Ginger more. So, with a sigh, Ginger moved forward with hesitant steps as he kept his eyes on the ground.
"I-I'm…G-Ginger Graham. It's…n-nice to meet you." He spoke slowly in his nervous, shy voice.
He honestly felt really embarrassed about the whole thing. He never liked talking to people before, and he certainly didn't want to talk to new people right now. Why couldn't they just put him in a separate room and hand him a big book to read? He'd rather do that than stutter and look like an idiot in front of these people.
Thankfully, the little toddler didn't seem to mind as she gave him a quick once over, turned to Summer, and after seeing Summer nod towards Ginger, little Ruby seemed to lose any inhibitions regarding Ginger.
"Hiya! I'm Ruby!" The young girl cheerfully greeted Ginger with bright eyes and an even brighter smile, so much so it sort of threw Ginger off. Seeing her sister at ease with the new kid, the blonde girl quickly followed up with her own introduction.
"I'm Yang." She gave Ginger a polite nod. "So why'd mom bring you here?"
It was an innocent question, but one that still felt uncomfortable for Ginger to answer. Thankfully, he didn't have to as Summer came once again to his rescue.
"I met him in Atlas, and he needed help. So I offered him a place to stay." Summer explained.
"So he's going to be staying with us?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is he our new brother?" Ruby asked with the innocence only someone her age could have.
The question made Ginger choke on his own throat and Yang's eyes widened, like the idea never crossed her mind before Ruby brought it up but now it sounded like a plausible answer now that she heard it. It also got a snort out of Qrow. Ginger really didn't like how the dusty old man was enjoying this.
"You could consider him to be like your brother, though you'll need to ask him if that's okay." Summer seemed overjoyed at first at the idea, before calming down and looking for Ginger for approval.
Ginger just stared at her in confusion, having a face that clearly said 'I don't know!'.
"I-uh…" Ginger didn't know what to say. So, he took a deep breath and quickly regathered his thoughts before carefully responding. "I-I'm not your brother." He began. Ruby's face fell when she heard that, only making Ginger's heart ache from seeing that expression, so he quickly finished his thought. "But…I guess…I wouldn't mind it if you want me to be."
That brought excitement back into Ruby's face as she immediately rushed over and slammed into Ginger's leg with so much force she nearly knocked him over. Ginger was about to shout at her actions, but that's when he realized she was now hugging his leg while looking up at him with big silver eyes filled with wonder and innocence.
"Yay! Yang! We've got a new brother!" Ruby cheered like it was the best news she had ever heard. Yang, on the other hand, only looked bewildered by the whole thing as she gave Ginger a questioning glance.
"Yeah… Great news, Rubes." Yang replied, though with less energy than her sister. She then turned to Summer and put on a smile. "You can go talk to Dad and Qrow now, Mom. Ruby and I will get to know Ginger some more."
"Good. Don't be too rough with him, Yang. I know how you can be." Summer said before she left the room with Qrow and Tai.
'Well that's not concerning…' Ginger thought to himself after hearing Summer's words.
Ginger was left with the two girls, still a bit unsure as to what he should do now. He felt out of place as he watched Ruby let go of his leg and took his arm, dragging him over to where she had been playing with Yang. Apparently, before he arrived, the two had been playing some sort of game involving a tower of wooden pieces, some of which had been removed it seemed.
"What's this?" Ginger asked in a quiet tone.
"You've never played Jenga?" Yang asked. Ginger shook his head, feeling a little ashamed when he saw the shocked look Yang gave him.
"I…never really played board games before." He said sheepishly.
"What did you do then if you didn't play games?" Ruby asked innocently as she plopped down in her spot.
"I read books. Big ones." Ginger replied as he sat down next to the toddler.
"Like the ones about huntsmen and huntresses? Or the fairytales?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah. A few of them were like that." Ginger nodded. "Mom and Dad were always busy, and Snow needed to help them, so I didn't play too often. But I liked reading, so it was fine."
"Snow?" Ruby repeated.
"My sister. She was much older than me, so she helped Mom and Dad with their shop." Ginger explained, trying to smile at the happy memory of times before. Instead, a frown found its way onto his face as his voice hitched with sorrow at having to now use past tense when speaking about Snow.
His frown was noticed by the two girls, though, so he quickly shook his head to push those thoughts away as he turned his attention back to the game.
"So how do you play?" Ginger asked. Yang stared at him for a moment before answering.
"It's simple. You just take out a piece and hope the tower doesn't fall, then you place it back on top of the tower. The player who makes the tower fall loses."
"Then how do you win? Is there just a loser and no winner?"
"Pretty much." Yang shrugged. "Here, I'll start us off." She said as she pulled out a wooden piece and placed it on top of the tower, the tower not moving at all the entire time. "Okay, now it's Ruby's turn."
"Hm hm!" Ruby hummed happily as she pulled out a piece. The tower wobbled slightly but stabilized as Ruby placed her piece on top. "Your turn, Ginger!"
"Right…" Ginger said as he slowly and cautiously took out a piece that seemed good to pull. It didn't look like it was a piece that was vital to the tower, so he slowly pulled it out, and then–
"Oh…"
The tower completely collapsed, falling spectacularly into a pile of pieces as Ginger sat there, the piece he pulled still in his hand as he stared at the tower unblinkingly. Yang and Ruby also stared at the tower silently, both of them baffled as to how quickly it took for the tower to cave in on itself.
"Well…that was a quick game." Yang noted.
"Yeah… Just three pieces, huh." Ginger nodded emotionlessly as he stared at his piece, sweat forming on his face as he did.
"Let's play again." Ruby quickly said.
The three quickly built another tower with the wooden pieces, and this time, Ginger went first. However, the moment he pulled out his first piece, the tower shook, and then, without any delay, fell to pieces once again. The three children were left staring at the pile, and then at Ginger's piece, before Ginger finally spoke up again.
"I'll…just watch you two play." Ginger said with a forced smile.
"Yeah…that might be for the best." Yang nodded as she and Ruby set up the tower again and began playing.
Ginger sat by and watched, finding it fascinating how the tower was lasting so much longer now that he wasn't playing. But before he could get lost in thought watching the tower–
"So how long are you staying until your parents pick you up?" Yang asked quietly as Ruby thought about her next move.
"H-Huh?"
"Your parents. When will they come to pick you up?" Yang asked again as Ruby finally took out her piece and placed it on top. "I mean, it's not like you're staying here forever, right?"
"Um…Summer said I could stay for as long as I wanted. Or needed." Ginger whispered his reply as Yang pulled out her piece.
"As long as you…what? Why? Don't you have a home in Atlas? Won't your folks be worried if you don't come back?" Yang asked as she placed her piece onto the tower.
"Uh…" Ginger didn't really want to answer her question, but he didn't know what else to say. He had to say something, right? So, after gulping down some of his nervousness, he finally answered. "They–huh…can't come to pick me up anymore. That's why Summer said I'm allowed to stay here."
"How come?"
"Grimm."
Yang choked on her own throat when she heard Ginger's hushed whisper that only she heard.
"Hm? What's wrong, Yang?" Ruby asked when she noticed Yang's sudden reaction.
"N-Nothing's wrong. Just talking with Ginger." Yang told her quickly, despite her paleness as she kept playing with Ruby while managing a forced smile.
Ruby tilted her head a little but then shrugged as she put her focus back on the game. Yang stole one last glance at Ginger after that, her expression more apologetic than before. She understood immediately. In the world of Remnant, Grimm were like a walking natural disaster. Even in such a happy environment, children are taught how monstrous Grimm can be. Even a child can easily understand what Ginger was implying by simply saying 'Grimm'.
"It's fine. You didn't know." Ginger told Yang as he watched her pull out her Jenga piece. "I get why you wouldn't like some random kid suddenly living with you. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out why I'm here too. It feels weird, knowing I can't go home again. Summer said this place can be my home, but…it's not the same. It doesn't feel like home."
"Hey, it's not that I don't want you here. I just thought it was weird and was curious… I mean, if Mom says you can stay, then then you can stay. You don't seem like a bad guy, and Mom's a huntress, so she can tell when someone's good or not." Yang told him. "I'm…sorry. For asking, and for what happened."
"It's fine." Ginger reassured her again as he kept watching the game play out.
But as he stared at the Jenga tower that Ruby and Yang were pulling pieces from and stacking pieces on top, he started to zone out. It was something that happened a few times during his time traveling with Summer, but she did her best to keep his mind busy by talking to him and cheering him up whenever she could. But now that he was sitting down and watching the game in silence, his mind began to wander again. And whenever it wandered, it always found itself in the same dark place.
As his eyes kept their focus on the wooden tower, Ginger began to feel more and more chills. The room's temperature was getting colder and colder, and he found himself curling up tighter in a ball as he sat. Yet as his body began to grow colder and colder, his side began to feel warmer and warmer as feelings of a burning sensation began to replay in his mind. Roars of fire began trickling back into his ears, covering up the memories of screams in the boy's mind.
He tried to ignore it. He really did. He didn't move his head or eyes away from the little wooden tower even as fire crawled in the corners of his vision. Even as the frost and fire engulfed his body, he did not move. He did not speak. He did not cry. He did everything his little mind could to force it all out of his head, despite the sensations he was enduring at the moment. He could feel his heart beating faster and faster, adrenaline pumping through his body.
He wanted to run. His legs were begging him to run away again. Run away from the perceived danger. Run away from the thoughts. Run away from the memories. Run away from the cold. Run away from–
"Ginger?"
"Huh?"
Ginger blinked, finally, after what felt like seconds, but in actuality was several minutes. All of those sensations and feelings and thoughts disappeared, and he finally looked around with wide eyes. Ruby and Yang were now staring at him, both with slightly concerned looks. The Jenga tower had collapsed, but Ginger couldn't recall when or who caused it to. He was breathing more heavily than before, and his face felt damper from the sweat that was forming.
"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked. "You look sad again.."
"S-Sorry. Zoned out a bit." Ginger said as he rubbed his eyes. "I might be a little tired from all the traveling Summer and I did. Don't mind me."
Yang didn't look like she believed that for a second judging by the way she frowned at him, but she didn't do or say anything about it. She didn't know what to do or what to say. What did a kid do in this situation?
Ruby didn't have that internal dilemma, though. She simply looked at Ginger for a few more moments before her mind came up with a solution, one that Ginger hadn't been expecting. Without any warning. Ruby got up and moved closer to Ginger, before hugging him tightly.
"Uh… Ruby? What are you doing?" Ginger asked as he stared at the little girl.
"Mom always does this for us when we're sad. Hugs make anyone feel better." Ruby explained with her childish, innocent logic.
Ginger was left blinking at her words, before he found himself smiling at her in response.
"Yeah. They do, don't they? I feel better already." Ginger told her as he returned the hug. "Thanks, Ruby."
"...Why don't we try to play a different game?" Yang then said as she began putting away the wooden pieces. "I mean, you might have terrible luck with Jenga, but I'm sure there's something you won't be bad at. It's not fair if you don't play with us, right?"
Ginger looked back at Yang, and seeing her slight teasing smile, Ginger felt his small smile grow.
"Yeah. Maybe. That sounds like fun." He nodded.
And so, the three children managed to find a game they all could enjoy, even with Ginger's terrible luck in all the games they played. It still didn't truly feel like home for Ginger, and yet…he felt as though things would eventually get better. Perhaps Summer was right. Perhaps everything would be alright now.
Months later…
"You're up early, Copperhead."
"And you still smell like the end of a bottle." Ginger, who was sitting on the couch with his knees near his head as he held an open book close to his face, shot back without looking up from his book as he turned the page.
"Ha! You haven't lost that bite yet, I see." Qrow laughed as he sat on the couch beside the curled-up Ginger with his usual smug smile. "Didn't you miss me?"
"You were only gone for about a week and a half." Ginger noted as he kept reading. "You only went to Vale, too. It wasn't anything to worry over."
"Bet Ruby didn't feel the same way."
"That's because she idolizes you. It worries me as her 'dear old brother' how her role model is a smelly, dusty old crow."
"Hey now, I'm not even that old!" Qrow pointed his finger right in the boy's face, blocking his view of the book. Ginger rolled his eyes as he shut the thick tome and turned to Qrow.
"Pretty sure there's a bit of gray in that hair of yours." Ginger smirked.
"Ah crap, really?!" Qrow's eyes widened as his hand immediately went to his head, sweat now forming on his face at his new dilemma.
Ginger managed to hold back his laughter for only a few seconds before a mirthful laugh burst out from his lips. That's when Qrow aimed a deadpanned glare at the young boy.
"Asshole…"
"I'm telling Summer you cussed in front of me." Ginger replied, keeping his smile as Qrow paled a bit more at hearing Summer's name.
"Now, now. There's no need for that." Qrow told him with pleading eyes. Ginger hummed a bit before letting out a breath.
"Fine. Now, did you want something?"
"Just wanted to talk, Copperhead. Is that so wrong?"
"No, but it's a little strange that I'm the first person you wanted to talk to after getting back. You haven't even taken a drink yet, which is just as weird." Ginger noted while raising an eyebrow in the huntsmen's direction.
"Eh, I'll have a drink later. Had one before I arrived. Besides, my flask is pretty much empty now after the trip back." Qrow shrugged, pulling out his flask and shaking it to show how empty it was. "And you were the first person I saw, so why not chat a bit? Where is everyone else?"
"Yang and Ruby are still asleep, considering sunrise only happened a couple of hours ago. I think Taiyang is working on something for Signal, and Summer is cleaning upstairs."
"Gotcha." Qrow nodded a bit. "...So how come you're up so early? A kid like you should still be asleep."
"I'm not tired." Ginger answered quickly. A bit too quickly, it seemed, as Qrow didn't seem to buy it.
"So more nightmares." Qrow deduced.
"I didn't say that."
"Don't have to. I'd be a pretty bad teacher if I couldn't pick up a thing or two at this point." Qrow then let out a sigh. "You've been here for nearly a year now. I think it's safe to say that we've all gotten to know each other pretty well, don't you? You definitely seem more comfortable here than those first few days. You hardly seemed like you knew what to do. My point is that me, Tai, and Summer all know you've been having on-and-off nightmares since…y'know. Hell, I'm sure even Yang and Ruby know to an extent, so how 'bout you throw me a bone here and actually talk to me."
"When did this become a therapy session?"
"It isn't. Speaking of which, you have been talking at your actual session, right?"
"I guess." Ginger frowned as he turned away. "I just don't like talking about what happened. I don't like to remember. I just want to forget everything."
Qrow let out another smaller sigh as he turned back to Ginger with a frown. He thought for a moment longer before deciding to just drop the topic for now.
"So how's training been going?"
"Better now. I'm getting more used to moving my body so much." Ginger said as he opened and closed his hand a few times. "I still feel sore afterward, though."
"That just shows you're getting stronger and tougher. You'll get used to it, and before you know it, it won't be as bad as before. Still, I'm still a little surprised that you want to be a huntsman. I remember dropping my drink when you came out one day and asked Summer to train you. Still remember the look of shock on her and Tai's faces, too."
"It wasn't all that surprising, was it? Yang and Ruby want to be huntresses, too." Ginger said.
"Yeah. Lots of kids tend to want to become Huntsmen and Huntresses at your age. I guess none of us thought that you would." Qrow mused as he rubbed his chin. "I don't think I've ever asked, but why do you want to become a huntsman anyway? Ruby and Yang want to 'cause their folks and I are. But no one in your family was a huntsman. So how come?"
"...I guess for the same reason as Ruby and Yang." Ginger admitted.
"Ah. I get it. So that's why you asked Summer to take you under her wing." Qrow nodded. "She was the one who saved you and brought you here, so it makes sense. Guess you have something to aspire to. That's good. It's important to have a good role model." He then placed a hand on Gigner's head and ruffled the boy's orange-brown hair. "But hey, now that I'm back, maybe you'll get to learn a bit more from yours truly."
"Maybe. I'm not sure I want to be thrown around by you again, though."
"Hey, sometimes I've gotta be rough to make sure my lessons stick with ya." Qrow said as he got up. "Unfortunately, I'm only here to deliver a message, and then I have to head out again."
"Message?"
"Yeah. Don't worry 'bout it. Now then, I'm gonna say hi to the folks. Talk to ya later, Copperhead."
"Yeah. Talk to you later, Birdy." Ginger gave him a tiny smirk as he opened his book and began reading again.
Qrow let out a small laugh before he went up stairs, leaving Ginger alone in the living room again. Not that Ginger minded much. That just meant he could read more.
All and all, Ginger had gotten much more comfortable with his current arrangement since his first few days at the Rose-Xiao Long Household. He no longer felt like an intruder, and he found it much easier to talk to everyone besides Summer than it had been. He had adjusted quite well, and was now finding his footing again in his life.
It was still borderline impossible to try to recall his old life without an excruciating burning feeling running through his side along with constant chills, but he was doing a fine job at ignoring all of that. It was becoming easier to forget the bad memories as newer, better memories were created, so he didn't have to constantly think about the bad ones.
He hadn't been able to completely move on from it yet, but he was better now.
Of course, outside of the Rose-Xiao Longs, Ginger hadn't really grown out of his shell when it came to making new friends yet. His only friends his age were still Ruby and Yang. He didn't speak much with anyone else, even at school. He just didn't like talking. And there was always an underlying feeling that was in him that made him not want to talk to new people anymore.
But that was fine by him. Ginger was content with what he had at the moment. He was fine right at that moment, and that's what mattered to him.
Of course, there were those around him who didn't seem to agree…
"You really need to talk to someone other than me and Ruby." Yang pointed out as she and Ginger began walking back from school.
"You all keep saying that, but I don't see why I should. I seem to be doing fine going on as I have been." Ginger responded as he read and read.
"Geez, you've always got your nose in some book, huh?" Yang shook her head with a sigh. "I'm serious though. You need some other friends."
"I just don't like talking to other people I don't know."
"That's just another reason why you need to expand your friend group, so you can get over that fear of strangers you have!"
"I'm not afraid of strangers. I just don't like doing it."
"Urgh! You're so stubborn! You're worse than Mom sometimes, I swear." Yang groaned loudly. "What are you reading about anyway?"
"It's a book detailing the Faunus history, including the Faunus War." Ginger answered as he flipped to the next page.
"Why the heck are you reading something like that? That hardly sounds interesting."
"I saw it in the library yesterday, so I checked it out and have been reading it since. It's quite informative. I recommend it."
"I'll never understand you and your thing about reading thick, boring books like that. I can hardly read a few pages in our textbooks before wanting to pass out."
"That's because you'd rather play or train instead."
"Exactly! And here you are, actually getting that training before any of us cause you're older, and you still got your face in some boring book! What's up with that?"
"You do know that huntsmen and huntresses need to be able to know things like this, right? If you enter Signal's huntsmen training course when you're old enough, you'll probably have to read big books like this."
"What? That can't be right. I mean, to be a huntsman, you just need to be strong to fight monsters, right?"
"If only it were that simple." Ginger sighed as he closed his book. "Ruby will be old enough to enter primary school soon, too."
"Yep. And it'll only be a few more years until you are allowed to enter Signal. But don't worry. I'll be right behind you." Yang said as she playfully punched Ginger's shoulder.
"Oh, goodie." Ginger smiled as he rolled his eyes. That's when the Xiao-Long Cabin appeared in his view, bringing a bit more warmth to Ginger's chest when he saw it. It certainly had become his home in the past year. "C'mon. Hurry up, Yang. Summer said she's making more cookies today, and I actually want some before Ruby gulps them all down."
"Oh, yeah! Good point. When it comes to Mom's cookies, Ruby is like a vacuum." Yang nodded before picking up the pace.
The two happily ran over to the cabin's entrance before bursting through with wide grins stuck on their faces.
"We're home!" Yang called out.
"Hey, kids! Welcome back!" Tai called out from the chair he was sitting in.
Sitting in Tai's lap was the family dog, Zwei, who was napping without a care in the world. Ginger smiled when he saw the small dog. Ginger knew the truth. Zwei was a good boy. You might even say the best boi.
"Where's Ruby?" Ginger asked.
"Napping upstairs. She was having too much fun with her Dad and Zwei."Summer said as she came out of the kitchen with a plate of freshly made cookies. "How was school?"
"Same old, same old. School was boring as always." Yang complained as she took off her shoes. "Ginger failed at making new friends today again."
"It's not failing if I'm not trying." Ginger replied with a smile and a bit of pride. A sense of pride that made everyone else frown.
"That isn't something to be proud of, Gin." Yang deadpanned.
"Whatever." Ginger rolled his eyes as he walked over to where Summer had set down the plate of cookies. After snatching a piece, Ginger hummed as he took a small bite. "God, no matter how many times I eat these, I just can't stop. They're sooooo good."
Summer laughed a bit as she shook her head.
"I'm glad you're still a fan. Unfortunately, it might be a while till the next batch."
"Hm? Why? Is there an egg shortage or something?" Ginger asked.
"No, not that. I'll be leaving for a mission tonight." Summer told him.
"Wait, really? Tonight? That's sudden." Yang noted as she plopped down onto the couch with her own cookie.
"Does this have to do with that message Qrow came here to deliver?" Ginger asked.
"Yeah. Apparently, they need Summer to do something really important." Tai told them with a slight frown. "I still don't like this, Summer. I've got a bad feeling about this."
"You just worry too much. I can take care of myself, you know." Summer smirked as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I know. I'm just worried." Tai responded with a serious look.
"I think you shouldn't worry, Dad. Mom's too awesome for anything bad to happen. She's like Super Mom!" Yang told her nervous Dad, getting a chuckle out of the man.
"Right. You're right. I'm sure I'm just overthinking things. It's just…it's never easy."
"I know. But I still need to go." Summer told him. "And then I'll be back before you know it. I need to be here to help raise Ruby and Yang. You too, Ginger. You might be a Graham, but you're still part of this family now." Summer smiled as she ruffled Gigner's hair.
"Why do you guys keep doing that?" Ginger mumbled as he swatted the hands away. "And you'll definitely come back. You still need to train me."
"Right you are." Summer nodded. "Now then, enough of that. We need to have a serious discussion about your lack of friends, mister."
"Or we can just eat more of these delicious cookies." Ginger immediately added as he turned away to take another bite.
"Oh no you don't. You aren't talking your way out of this one." Summer frowned.
The rest of the day went on as usual. Summer lectured Ginger on the importance of making new friends and talking to be, all while Yang and Tai laughed at his dismay. That is until Summer aimed her 'Mom glare' at them. They then laughed a bit before things continued. Ruby woke up, and she played a bit with Ginger and Yang before Summer had to go.
It was like any other time Summer had to go do Huntress things. She got her things, said her goodbyes, and then left with her usual smile. It was sad, but she was a Huntress. This was a normal thing that had happened a number of times already since Ginger arrived at Patch. It was sad but normal. It was nothing that should have been of any concern. Just another day that would pass by before another one came.
…That's what Ginger thought, but as days came and went afterward, and as days became weeks, and weeks became months…he and the others began thinking things weren't quite right. Soon after, a man named Professor Ozpin came by to tell Tai what had supposedly happened to his wife.
At that moment, Ginger realized a simple truth. Nothing would be normal or fine again. Nothing was alright.
Not when Summer would never return.
…The funeral was a blur. Ginger wasn't paying much attention to it. He wasn't paying any attention to much of anything, really. His typical brown and orange was now replaced by blacks and whites, along with everyone else.
There wasn't even a body to bury. Not when no one could find it. They don't even know exactly what happened. Yet there was a grave anyway. Whatever happened, they were certain that they needed a tombstone, at least. Made especially for Summer Rose.
Ginger couldn't remember anything that happened or what was said. He remembered Tai went up to say some things in between his sobs, along with Qrow, who hadn't had so much as a sip during the whole event. Yet. Ginger was sure that would change very soon. That Ozpin guy also said a few words, along with some other people who knew Summer. All the words that were spoken, though, had something similar to each other.
They all were words full of sadness.
Tai was an absolute mess. Qrow was waiting patiently for the moment he could finally get sloshed. Yang barely understood anything that was happening, being a bundle of nerves, sadness, and confusion as she processed what this meant. Ruby wasn't even old enough to know. She kept asking Tai and Yang where Summer was and when she was coming back, only further cementing their pain and sorrow.
Ginger knew all too well what this was, though. He understood completely, and he hated it. He hated that it was happening again. That somehow, he had lost another important person to him within the same year. It was reeling for him. Sobering, really. He came to Patch with Summer so that this wouldn't happen again, yet here he was at another funeral for a loved one.
He had gotten drunk on the idea of normality returning to his life, and he quickly got addicted to the feeling. It was nice. It was warm. There were bad moments when the past resurfaced, but it was fine. But this quickly woke him up from the dream.
Everything blurred together after the funeral. On this particular day, Ginger found himself sitting on the couch alone, staring at nothing. He didn't move, and he didn't speak. He wasn't doing anything other than staring and breathing. He didn't even feel sad about it anymore. He was just processing it, even days after.
The others weren't much better from what he'd seen.
Qrow got drunk a lot more often and was gone for much longer on his missions. Rarely even told them when he'd be leaving or when he'd come back. He'd just disappear one day after saying small hellos and drinking himself silly in a bar before leaving for weeks on end, sometimes spanning even months.
Tai was far worse, comparatively. He was a complete mess. A wreck both physically and emotionally it was almost as if he had gone catatonic. He had just simply…shut down, no longer talking to anyone and hardly even moving. At times Ginger would have believed he was already dead if not for the fact he was still breathing.
Sometimes Qrow came by when he wasn't completely wasted to try to help out, either with Tai or taking care of the kids. But that didn't last too long before he had to leave. The rest of the time it was Yang and Ginger taking care of themselves, Ruby, and Tai if he needed it, which he tended to.
Ginger was the oldest of the two, and he had already learned how to take care of himself, but an entire house of people? That was too much for any kid by themselves. The two of them quickly realized that they had to figure things out themselves and fast if Tai wasn't able to do anything.
Ginger never blamed Tai for it. Ginger was much the same way. He probably would have shut down too if not for the fact that he had been through worse things, as awful as that sounded. This was horrible, and yet not as horrible as the fire and snow. Did it make Ginger a bad person if he didn't seem to hurt as much as the others because of his past experience with pain and loss? He pondered that question many times as he and Yang learned how to cook, clean, and care for everyone in the house.
Exhausting. It was all exhausting. They couldn't even go to school sometimes as taking care of Ruby and Tai took more priority in those moments. But this was a rare day where not much was happening yet. Where Ruby was napping and Tai was sleeping, everything had been taken care of, and they were allowed to rest a little. Yet Ginger didn't feel re-energized. He just felt more sluggish.
Who knows how long he sat there blankly staring at the wall before Yang slowly walked up to him.
"Ginger."
"Hmm…?" Ginger slowly turned his head, his tired, dulled violet eyes gazing into Yang's dulled lavender orbs. "Yang…?"
"I need your help with something." She said with a sense of urgency.
"Help? Did you or Ruby break something again?" Ginger frowned as he rubbed his eyes, now feeling how they stung after not blinking for a while.
"No! Well…yes, but–look, just listen to me!" Yang shouted as she moved closer to him and shoved a photo in his face. "Take a look at this."
"Huh? What…?" Ginger muttered as he looked at the photo. He took it from her hand and examined the woman in the photo. It wasn't Summer. It was someone he had never met, and she bore a striking resemblance to Yang. "Who is this? Why do we have a picture of her?"
"Dad said her name was Raven. I…think she's my mom. My real mom." Yang said.
"Real…mom?" Ginger blinked, his situational awareness now flaring back to life. "Wait. Waitwaitwait. Tai had another wife?"
"I found out a few days ago." Yang explained. "I heard Dad muttering something in his sleep, and he mentioned someone named Raven. When Uncle Qrow came by, I asked him about it, but he didn't want to talk too much about it. Said how she left years ago and probably wouldn't ever come back. I was curious, but I only just figured it out when I found this. It all clicked after that."
"Then…she really is your birth mom? I guess there is a strong resemblance between you two."
"Right?" Yang nodded. "I bet if we find her and bring her back, Dad will get better. Maybe she can snap him out of his funk since Summer can't do that anymore."
"Summer? Not…mom?"
"It's…just a little weird now that I know she wasn't really my mom. I mean, she was, but…" Yang trailed off with a small frown. "You don't call her mom, either."
"That's different." Ginger muttered before shaking his head. "Nevermind that. How would we even find this Raven person? Qrow said it himself that she left and wouldn't come back."
"That's what he thinks, but maybe we can still find her and convince her to come back. I remember Dad and Summer mentioning something about an old shack in the woods where Dad used to live or something like that. Maybe that's where he lived with Mom? If so, maybe we can find some clues as to where she went."
"In the woods? Yang, Grimm are in the woods!" Ginger hissed. "We can't go out there! What if they see us? What then? What about Tai and Ruby?"
"Dad will be fine 'till we get back. And we can just take Ruby with us! We have this wagon that we can–"
"I'm going to stop you right there. I'm going to try to be the voice of reason and tell you how stupid this sounds." Ginger told her. "You want us, untrained children with no weapons, to go into Grimm-infested woods, and on top of that, you want to bring a four-year-old with us!?"
"I know it sounds nuts, but if we can find Mom, then things have to get better! Dad won't be alone anymore, and we can go back to being kids again! Things will go back to normal!"
"Yang, you can't expect me to just–"
"If you won't go with me, then I'll just take Ruby and go by myself."
That shut Ginger up real quick as he stared at Yang with an incredulous look.
"You…You can't be…" Ginger began as he stared at the now six-year-old girl. "You wouldn't."
"Try me."
"I'll tell Tai!"
"You think he'd be able to do anything about it in his condition?"
"I'll tell someone! Anyone to stop you!"
"Ruby and I will be long gone before you get back." Yang told him flatly. "You either come with us, or we leave without you."
Ginger felt his eye twitch as Yang crossed her arms, unmoving in her stance. Ginger wasn't left with much of a choice in the matter.
"Fine. I'll go with you. If only to keep you from killing yourself and Ruby." Ginger growled. "Let me find something to use as a weapon. Maybe Tai has a gun or something. I dunno. Just wait until I find something, okay?"
"Ok, but be quick about it. I'll get Ruby and the wagon." Yang told him as she rushed off. Ginger just sighed.
"This can only end poorly…"
Ginger managed to find some of Tai's weapons, but they were all gauntlets of some kind, and Ginger didn't think punching Grimm would do anything even with these oversized things. With that plan bust, Ginger didn't know what to do, but that's when he found some of Summer's old weapons.
One thing that many knew about Summer was that she was a bit of a gun nut despite her main weapon being an axe. She tended to collect old models, too, as a part of a collection. So when Ginger found out that they still had those old weapons, he figured they were good enough.
Grabbing a revolver and managing to load it without accidentally setting it off or breaking it, Ginger rushed outside, where Yang was waiting for him. Beside her was a large red wagon with a sleeping Ruby inside. It only strengthened Ginger's belief that this was a horrible plan, yet Yang wouldn't be swayed by more words. It was either Ginger let Yang fend for herself or come with her to try to save her stupid ass if needed.
They soon began walking through the forest. The shed shouldn't have been too far away from the cabin. For adults, anyway, but for children not over the age of eight, the trek was unbearable. Yang and Ginger kept getting cuts and bruises from rocks and branches that hit them or they tripped on during the journey, and they were getting more and more exhausted from navigating the forest.
The two didn't speak to each other the entire time. Yang was too focused on finding her 'real' mom, and Ginger was still pissed about her forcing him and Ruby to come along on her suicide plan. Ginger had nothing to say to the girl, and Yang didn't even seem to notice as she forced herself to keep moving forward.
They eventually found the rundown shack around the time the sun was beginning to set. At that point, neither Ginger nor Yang could really move, having reached far beyond the limits of these small bodies from the long trek. As Ginger panted, he slowly turned his head up to Yang, who was staring ahead at the shack as she took shallow breaths.
"Well? Are you happy? We're here, and the whole place is nearly destroyed! I doubt we'll find anything here! What's your plan now?!" Ginger gasped as he yelled, his expression one of pure anger now.
But that's when he noticed Yang wasn't paying any attention to him. In fact, her eyes were wide and her pupils had shrunken down to pinpoints as her breathing hastened. That's when Ginger heard a low growling, and he understood what she was staring at. He slowly turned around as his face paled, and what he saw in the darkened shack was a number of glowing red eyes.
He ended up just like Yang. He froze up in terror, the only movements he was able to make being slight shivers.
He still had the revolver in his hand. It was fully loaded, and there were only three Beowulfs in front of them. The revolver had eight shots, more than enough to take them out before they managed to get close if Ginger managed to hit their heads with each shot. Even an old gun like this had enough firepower to kill a Grimm, and even if it wasn't, at least one or two should die, and someone else would hear the gunshots and come to save them. All he had to do was aim and pull the trigger.
Yet he couldn't. He was too tired to even move his arms, not to mention too terrified. He was paralyzed with fear and exhaustion. No matter how desperately he cried for his body to listen to his commands and do something, anything, he wouldn't move. All he did was stare at the oncoming death.
It all happened within a single moment. In one second, the Grimm stood there staring at their new meal as Yang and Ginger stood in petrified terror, unable to do anything to stop them. The next, the Grimm all leaped and lunged at the children, inches away from mauling off their faces. And then the next–
Slash!
They had all been cut in half. Ginger blinked in confusion, still reeling from terror as he slowly looked forward at where the Grimm had been. Standing in their place was now Qrow, his weapon drawn in his hand and in its scythe mode. He turned back to the kids, a frown on his face, yet Ginger couldn't discern what sort of emotion the man was feeling. Perhaps disappointment, anger, sadness, or something else. Ginger couldn't tell.
Qrow continued staring at them before taking a small breath.
"C'mon, kids. Let's getcha back home. Tai's having a panic attack back home." Qrow grumbled as he put his weapon away. "And Yang, we'll be talking about this with your dad when we get back, 'cause I know Ginger wouldn't have come up with a stupid plan like this."
Yang couldn't even find the words to respond as she nodded and looked down at the ground. That's when Qrow moved over to Ginger and crouched down to his level.
"Hey, Copperhead. Think I can hold that now?" He asked in a tone much softer than what Ginger was used to from the man.
That was when Ginger blinked a few times before following Qrow's eyes and understanding what he meant. Ginger was still clutching the gun like a lifeline, his hand still shaking slightly as he did.
A new sickening feeling entered his gut as his mind caught up with what he was looking at.
As if he hadn't realized what he had been holding for the past few hours, Ginger quickly slammed the weapon into Qrow's hand like it was a bomb, letting the trained adult unarm the thing before putting it away. It was only then that Ginger realized how quickly he had been breathing and how tense he had been. Just how loud his heart was in his ears, and just how shaky he was at that moment.
Terror. It was complete, utter terror he was feeling.
"Right then. Let's get going." Qrow said as he put away the now harmless revolver before picking up the now half-asleep Ruby from the wagon and walking off with Yang by his side.
But he soon stopped when he realized that Ginger hadn't followed him. The boy was still standing where he had been, just staring at the shaking hand that had held the gun before he handed it over to Qrow with blank eyes.
"Hey, Ginger. I said let's get going."
"..." Ginger didn't respond right away as he slowly turned to Qrow with wide, blank, empty eyes. "...Qrow."
"Yeah, kiddo?"
"...I don't think I can be a Huntsman," Ginger muttered as he looked down at the ground with his dulled eyes. "I…don't think I want to be a Huntsman anymore."
Qrow frowned when he heard that, but he simply nodded before walking towards Ginger and taking his hand with his free one.
"I don't blame ya, kid. Don't feel too down. Plenty of people realized they aren't suited for this line of work too late. Be thankful you learned ahead of time. Just do what makes you feel happy." Qrow told him as he grabbed Ginger's hand and got him to finally start moving, although the boy's expression remained the same.
Ginger had just learned another truth at that moment. Not everyone was meant to become a huntsman or a hero. Only certain people with certain qualities could. He wasn't one of those people. Summer was, and if not even she could survive against whatever they had to fight…
Then someone like Ginger sure as hell didn't. So he wouldn't reach farther than what was possible for him. He wouldn't strive for impossible goals or ideals. At that moment, he understood what he wanted in his life now.
Just an average, simple, quiet life. Nothing outstanding or special, not expecting anything more than what he had.
Wanting anything more would simply be a way to lose it all again, so he wouldn't. After all,
It's not failing if he isn't trying.
A/N: Writing another story along with the Dragon Ball and Danganronpa stories because I'm insane and can't be stopped. No one can stop me now! Mwahahaha!
So yeah, I'll probably post what I have for this story over the week before getting back to a fourth story I'm having fun writing right now. Or I'll attempt to get back into finishing EaST. Whichever comes first.